We don't cry together, we fight together
by divergentris
Summary: Basically it's another ModernDayAU but it's in a university! The university has five sections or as they know them, factions. Each student can pick a faction, but to succeed, the faction must choose them too. Or they end up factionless! Who know where this will go...(honestly nobody does, I don't know!)
1. Aptitude

**Author's notes;**

**Hey guys! Or...I don't know if there's any of you so I could just be talking to no one...so erm...hey! Anyways...this is my first EVER fanfic so I thought I'd start off easy. I know there's bazillions of modern day AU's but i love them :)**

**So enjoy! :)**

_The screaming in my ears, the pounding in my chest, I don't know if I can take it any longer. But no. I have to keep going. I have to keep trying. For him._

_ But suddenly everything's different. I can't see anything but a bright light, and I can only hear one, horrible, screeching voice._

"TRRRRIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS!"

"Em, yes? What is it?" I reply innocently, as if I had no idea I am due to walk out the door to my first day at university in 5 minutes.

"You know what it is! This is our first day at university and I'm not going to be late just because you can't be bothered to get out of your..."

I stop listening, in fear of her 'bad language habit' about to kick in, and try to focus on peeling myself out of my awesomely comfortable bed. If she understood how great this bed is, she wouldn't want to leave it either. I stick my head in the shower and tie my hair back in a loose bun.

This is going to be a long day.

We all try to gather ourselves, wondering what could be waiting behind the door in front of us. Every one of the new initiates is just as clueless as the other...and it sucks. How are they going to decide our factions? Is it a test? What happens if you fail?

Very slowly the door in front of us all opens, and a smartly dressed woman walks out with a clipboard. She looks like she might be in her mid-twenties and certainly has a lot of piercings. She holds up her hand, and as if we were all newly trained puppies, we all fall silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Your first day at Faction Academy is about to begin. But, before it does, each of you is required to be put through what we call an aptitude test. It will test and tease your brain in certain ways, so that we can draw the conclusion to what faction you would be most suited to. This is to help your choice only. Once you have completed the test, it is essential that you do not share your results with anybody. I cannot make that any more clear."

I look to the side at Christina out of the corner of my eye, as so not to draw attention to myself, and I can see her smirking just as I am. This all sounds very official, and I can tell I'm not the only one that is trying to suppress my laugh as she continues.

"You will all spend two days in each faction of the school to give you an idea of how they run. At the end of the two days, you will decide if you think the faction could be for you. However, your choice is not that simple. For you to be accepted into the faction, they in turn have to choose you. Furthermore, at the end of the ten days, you will make a final choice, as will the factions.

We will call students for their aptitude tests in alphabetical order. You will then proceed into the dormitories and wait for further information" she finishes.

Christina and I give each other a look of complete seriousness before bursting out laughing as the woman exits through the same door she came through.

Christina is a B, so she leaves soon but I wait quietly and patiently, as every Abnegation raised child does, for my name to be called. As I do, I observe my surroundings. I can easily see the groups of kids raised by Candors. The loud, sometimes arrogant group that are surprisingly honest with each other, all the time. The group of Amity kids are all too simple to point out. They're the ones that are always happy and positive...like, all the time. Erudite are far from subtle, while they all furiously study and pretend to show interest in the how and why of everything. Abnegation are easy for me to spot, making polite conversation with each other, wishing you luck if they call you name. And last, but never to be least, the Dauntless. I've never really had them figured out. They're just so different from all the other factions. But, exciting different.

"Beatrice Prior, please"


	2. Island

I feel a sharp pierce through my neck a split second after I walk through the door. I crane my neck to the side just in time to see a tall, dark man retreating with the remains of a syringe. This won't be good.

The room I'm in appears to be entirely made of metal. Something like cold steel - I'm sure an Erudite could tell you what it is - made to keep me in. It is completely empty, except from a large black chair that faces me in the middle of the room.

"Please, take a seat"

I can't tell where the voice is coming from, I'm guessing some sort of speaker. I'm also guessing that whoever is speaking, is also watching. With that in mind, I sat down to face the door I came through.

"In about thirty-three seconds, you will be entirely under the simulation. The simulation is, of course, not real but you will not be aware of this. While you're..."

I think the voice continues but I can't hear it anymore. My head starts to whirl as if I'm on a sudden rollercoaster, and I hold onto the chair for dear life. Without warning, the chair plummets into a hole of darkness and I am suddenly surrounded by water. Just water everywhere, I can't see anything else at all. The chair is gone, and I am alone.

I start considering my options in this situation. This is a test. Specifically designed to test me in whatever way, and I have to think it through if I'm going to get through it. If the simulation makes me see things that aren't real, then it's wired to my mind. And there's a lot I can do with my mind.

Just as I think that, I hear a rustle behind me. I didn't even know that I am on an island, but there seems to be a few trees and what sounds like a small animal before me. I decide to approach the trees and seek out the animal. But just as I take my first step, it reaches me first.

It's a small animal, almost the size of a small dog, yet it has a pointed head. It seems to be stripped from the neck upwards and has a grey coloured coat. I recognise it now. I have only ever seen pictures, as they're nocturnal, which makes me wonder what it's doing out in broad daylight. It must be sick.

I've never known how to approach a badger, well I've never had to. But thankfully it seems to have taken an interest in me, so that is one obstacle over with. I reach down to stroke it from head to rear, as one would with a dog or cat, but it scurries away into the trees again. I'm having a hard time figuring out what this would have to do with matching me up to a faction but nevertheless, I follow the badger.

I pry my way through the trees and come to a small dip in the ground. It looks like a hole, but not quite. It has twigs and leaves scattered across the floor of it, and almost resembles a birds nest. But what catches my eye is in the corner of it, there lies another badger, significantly smaller than the one I had just seen. Perhaps it could be an offspring. With this in mind, I decide it would be best to leave it in peace, so I turn to walk away. But as I do so, I realise that I have crossed paths with a wild animal with its eyes locked on the cub. It's a mangy beast, with a wild look in its eyes and a ferocious smile across its face. I remain between the predator and its prey, until the animal makes the first move. It slowly circles the 'nest' and I keep my eyes on it, ready to protect the cub.

The animal suddenly lunges forward to attack the cub, but I get there first. I surround the beast's neck with my arms which, as weak as they are, seem to make a slight impact. I can feel my skin breaking as the animal attempts to get out of the grip but I won't budge.

I feel dizzy again. Everything is disappearing one by one. The animal, the trees, the cub. They're all gone before I can even reach out to them. But now, I am surrounded by an entirely different scene. I am on a train. Or what seems like a train. It looks like a train, and definitely smells like a train, but it just doesn't feel like a train.

The seats are all full except one seat at the front. I go to sit down, still unsure what the simulation has in store for me, as an old lady comes on board, her worried eyes searching for a seat. Before she can check another carriage, I move out of the way and offer my seat to her. But, just as she sits, the train lurches forward, and comes to a stop.

Yet, there is no platform. We haven't stopped on purpose.

I make my way to the front of the carriage, but I fail to find a driver. I start to panic, if we don't move another train will come along, might not see us and we could crash. Finally, my instincts kick in, and I look over the control panel. I have a rough idea of what to do so I restart the engine, pull a few leavers and push a few buttons. But as soon as I get the train moving again, I spiral back into the black hole and slam hard down onto a chair.

It takes me a minute or two to regain my senses and determine the fact that I am back in the metal room, in the chair. Except now, there is a small, smartly dressed woman standing in front of me with an extremely scared expression on her face.

**Hey! So I've tried to make it a bit longer without it being boring...hope it worked! :):)**


	3. Normal

I exit the metal room through a door identical to the one I entered through, yet what meets me on the other side is an entirely different scene. While I left a practically deserted hall, before me is a set of jam-packed stairs. It worries me that I don't recognise anyone. I decide it would be best to keep my head down for the time being, so I keep quiet and search through the pile of luggage for my own bags. Just as I find my last bag, Christina comes bouncing over to me and starts a full blown interrogation.

"Ohmygod what happened to you? You were in there for so long! Apparently there has been a fault with one of the simulations and the results had to be reported, explained and analysed verbally! What could have caused that?". I assume she doesn't actually expect an answer as she continues.

"I mean what was up with that simulation? When it got to the..." I zone out completely as my focus is drawn to a man, standing in the corner of the bottom of the stairs observing the scene.

He leans against the wall so casually as if he and it are one. His eyes seem to scan the room without even moving, but I know he can see everything. He looks strong, and not just muscular, but his eyes have so much depth to them that I am almost certain he is Dauntless. His arms are folded, which psychologically means that he is protected, and perhaps has something to hide.

I don't even realise I am staring until his eyes meet mine, and I quickly lower my head and break my gaze.

"Well?" Christina demands, obviously still thinking I am listening to her.

"Erm, could you repeat the question please?"

"Huh! Did you choose the cheese or the knife?". I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about, so I assume she means under the simulation. But then I remember...

_You didn't receive the standard simulation, as your brain seems to have rejected the serum, so I overrode the system and had to change your simulation process. You ended up on an island  
instead of the standard dining hall. I'm still not completely sure why..._

"I picked the cheese, of course. What about you?" It's not the most convincing answer, but Christina was brought up in a Candor household, so she believes anything and everything I say.

"I picked the knife. I wondered what could be ahead, so I decided it would be naïve of me to not pick the weapon". That's just like Christina. Honest, and honest only. And I love her for it.

"What about the next part, what did you think of that?" I don't even know if there was a next part for her but I try to piece together what I should have seen.

_"Beatrice, I am afraid to say that due to your simulation results, I have come to a rather distressing conclusion. It seems that you would be perfectly suited for...more than one faction. From what I have seen, I would guess three. Sadly, this does mean that I have to say you are..." she looks around the empty metal room, as if there was dozens of other people watching. "...Divergent._

"Well, I mean, the dog was quite scary but since I had chosen the knife, it made it easy. What did you do with your...cheese?" I try to decide on a believable yet decent answer. What would I do?

"I just fed it to the dog. It seemed to distract it long enough."

"Very smart. Really, you could just about be Erudite!". The irony of it is almost amusing.

Almost.

"So where is our room?" I ask quickly, as so to not spend any more time on the subject.

"It's just upstairs. Come on, I'll help you" she says lifting one the heavier bags I have.

We continue small talk on the way up the stairs, yet I can feel a pair of eyes on me. I turn once I reach the top of the stairs and my eyes immediately go to the man I had noticed earlier. Still in the same position, he seems to be watching me carefully as if I am some sort of suspicious being. I barely get another look at him before Christina pulls me away, towards one of the halls that leads on from the stairs.

"So far it's just you and me in our room, but there could be one or two more" Christina fills me in on what's happened since we got here. Being brought up Abnegation, I've never been one for gossiping. It always results in someone ending up hurt or people being labelled, and that's definitely something I want to avoid.

_"Divergent is an extremely dangerous thing Beatrice. You have to understand that. You cannot, must not tell anyone. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes of course I do. I know we are not supposed to share our results with anyone else" I start to think she is deliberately treating me like a five year old. One of the few rules of the aptitude test is that we keep our results to ourselves. But people rarely do._

_"No Beatrice, you don't understand. This has to remain a complete secret. You must not tell anyone in all of your life, or trust me you will not have a very long one. Keep your head down, blend in, and follow on with whatever happens to everyone else. You have to pretend you are normal"._

**Hey guys! So... I've tried to change it up a wee bit but please give any ideas you think would be good! Going through Exams just now so it take so much effort to think of a plot! But I have something in mind...;)**


	4. Blend In

The theatre fills with 'initiates', as the older ones call us, and Christina and I find a seat. We sit next to a boy named Will, who seems really nice. He is an Erudite, so naturally he rambles on about the history of the building and the fascinating features of the theatre - something I personally find very interesting. But I thought Christina would be bored out of her mind listening to him recite useless facts and she would certainly speak her mind if she did. I could not have been more wrong. She listens intently to him, hanging on every single word he says.

"And did you know, in 1880, 70% of the French population did not even speak the language we call French. They spoke variations, local languages." I am about to correct him on that fact - it is actually 80% - but then I remember what I am supposed to do...and who I am supposed to be.

_Be quiet, be forgotten, be normal._

Before I can spend too long contemplating my 'new identity', a woman in a white top, a bright red blazer and pale yellow jeans appears on the stage. She taps the microphone twice and it seems to attract the attention of about half of the students. She then raises her hand and acquires entire silence within the room. Christina manages to pull herself away from Will and focus' her attention on the woman.

As she approaches the front of the stage, I start to recognise her. She has an unforgettable face. She has a long scar running from her eye to her chin, rendering her blind in one eye and giving her a lisp when she speaks. I remember seeing her on TV giving a speech on behalf of Amity. She is the representative for the Amity and although I have only seen her once, she is memorable.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I draw your attention". Spoken like a true Amity. Polite and full of peacefulness. There are a few faces in the crowd that have the same look of recognition as mine, so I assume even among the other factions she is well known.

"Welcome to your first official day at Faction Academy. My name is Johanna Reyes and I will be introducing you to how things will run around her for the next twelve days. You will spend two days with each faction, and you will also have two days rest, of which you can visit any faction you like. You have already been split into groups according to your aptitude results, and you will be visiting the factions in a random order. Tori has already explained that even though you get to choose a faction, the faction in turn have to choose you. Or you end up factionless. This may well be the biggest decision of your life."

_"Beatrice, your final decision has to be made extremely carefully. If you were to choose a faction such as Abnegation you would be safe, but choose Erudite and they are likely to figure out just what you are."_

_I think about what to say next but before I get a chance, my mouth has already decided._

_"What if I were to pick Dauntless. You said that was the other faction I would be suitable for, right"_

_She expresses slight concern, and then wipes it off her face._

_"Technically, yes. You are just as suited to Dauntless as the other two factions, but if you want to blend in, and ultimately stay alive, Dauntless will be your last choice."_

"Now remember, which faction you choose is your decision to live with, not a burden for others to bear. Keep that in mind when you make your decision."

I swear her eyes fall on me for several seconds longer than they should but she breaks the stare by continuing.

"Your groups are as follows..."

I zone out again, just keeping my ears open for my own name. It takes a while but eventually I hear it.

"...Beatrice Prior, Christina Belle, Will Barber...you will all begin your faction tour at Dauntless."

Great.

**Hey again! Soorrrryyyyyy for the short chapter but I wanted to keep the whole revealing Dauntless for another chapter :):)**


	5. Jump

**Hey there! Thanks for the reviews! I'm trying to update asap - but life is loco! Any ideas or criticisms are welcomed!**

_I can see him in the distance. Just a shadow, but I know it's him. I start running, not just toward him but away from it. I can't see it, but I know it's there. I can feel it breathing on my back, teasing me before it pounces. Closer and closer until..._

"TTRRRRRRRIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS! JESUS CHRIST COULD YOU SLEEP ANY LONGER?" Sometimes I silently thank Christina for her yelling during my sleep. It prevents me from ever having to find out what happens next.

"Maybe I could without such a rude awakening!" I reply, rolling myself out of bed.

"What's for breakfast!" I shout, an optimistic question considering she usually eats it all before I even get up.

I get a mumbled, and extremely explicit, response that resembles the likes of "Well it was toast...". I settle for banana in Greek yoghurt, and gulp down the remainders as we walk out the door.

I observe our surroundings while on the way to our first day of tour. For the time being, until we choose our factions, all of the 'initiates' stay in one building. It is almost like one of the old factionless buildings has been remodelled for us. There is about 10 floors with five rooms on each floor. Christina and I are extremely lucky in the sense that it is only her and me in our room. In some of the guys' rooms, there is five or six of them sharing.

Before I know it, we are at Dauntless headquarters. I've always thought it was the smallest headquarters - it's just one building, and it's only a 12-story building. There are already a few other students here, and it's immediately obvious which were Dauntless raised and which were not.

"Do you think they'll let us jump off?" A typical Dauntless response. And quite on the contrary, "Do you think they've taken the necessary safety precautions in relation to this task?" from an Erudite.

A Dauntless man appears through the door of the building. His dark clothes cover his figure, but he looks muscular. He has a tattoo on his neck, which I imagine continues further down, but is hidden by his shirt. I am keen to further observe him, but he interrupts my thoughts.

"Initiates." he practically yells beside my ear. It's quite the opposite to the Amity call, which was just so much more polite.

"Welcome. We're going to go into the Dauntless headquarters now." Short, vague, and demanding. So basically Dauntless. I like it.

The initiates all start toward the door of the building until the Dauntless man stops us.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he shouts at the ones already at the door. "You're only initiates." he says simply, as if stating the fact explains everything. He points to the side of the building and I move to see what he was pointing at.

I don't fully understand what he is implying. All I can see is a rusty ladder that was probably once used as a fire escape. Before I get the chance to question it, a Dauntless initiate virtually speaks my mind.

"There's a ladder, so what?" and with sudden realisation, backs down. We have to climb it.

My movement rigid and my breath scarce, I am the last one to reach the top. And my welcome isn't what I hoped.

"Hurry up Stiff! We're getting old here" I've never really understood why the Abnegation born are called Stiffs, but it seems to be a popular insult. Everyone at school that wasn't Abnegation seemed to be under the impression that the Abnegation couldn't think for themselves or they didn't know how to have fun. Hence the nickname.

I haul myself over the last step and stand firmly in my place, ignoring the remarks from the other initiates. The Dauntless man seems to be observing me, but pushes his thoughts aside and continues with the 'tour'.

"So how are we getting to the headquarters?" asks an Erudite, sounding bored, but he only gets one word in response. The Dauntless man smirks as he says it, and usuallyI would push further for an explanation, but it's enough to shut me up, and apparently every other initiate on the roof.

"Jump".


	6. Four

"What?!" yells one of the Dauntless borns, and judging by the expressions on everyone else's faces it's a common reaction.

"You heard me. Jump" shouts the Dauntless man. He seems to quite like the fact that we are all scared stiff of the idea. Well, all but one.

Heights have never bothered me particularly, and if the Dauntless man seems to think there is no risk in jumping off the building then my Abnegation instincts tell me to trust him. He smirks at me, as if predicting I will start shaking or crying or asking for an alternative. I am determined to prove him wrong, and as I stepped forward, as to single myself out from the group, I seem to wipe the smile off of his face.

"Yes, Stiff" he says, as if expecting me to politely ask a question or somewhat. But I just take one look at him, push my weight back, and break into a sprint.

I can feel their shocked eyes on me as I bomb off of the building, and I'm starting to question whether or not it was my Abnegation instincts that pushed me to do this. But it doesn't matter what it was now, I'm spinning through the air at who knows what speed, into who knows what.

Suddenly, I feel a rope like surface slam into my body head first and seep down slightly, only to bounce back up. I try to steady myself but the surface seems to be moving. I realise that for this whole time, my eyes have been closed, so I force them open to see what's going on.

The bright light shocks me and it takes time for my eyes to adjust before I realise I'm lying on my back looking up at the sky. I try to stand up but my attempt completely fails and I end up face down on what I can now see is a net. That's why the Dauntless man was so relaxed. There's a net.

The net suddenly rises at one side and I roll down onto a hard floor. I quickly get myself together and stand up in case there are any Dauntless watching, and I am right. There is a tall dark figure facing me, standing just in front of a metal door. He moves forward into the light and I recognise him immediately.

"Hello again" he says, before I get a chance to voice those exact words. "You're the Stiff right?" he says, almost with utter disgust.

"Yeah, that's me" I say slowly, as if it is a trick question.

"And the first jumper, that's impressive" he continues, with a blank expression on his face, which makes me question his...compliment?

"Yeah well, he said jump" I say trying to cover my tracks. I inwardly kick myself for the slip up.

_Now Beatrice, it is extremely rare to be eligible for both Dauntless and Abnegation. Out of all of the factions, they are the most unlikely to be found together, never mind in the same person. While in Dauntless, you have to be as Abnegation as possible._

"Ah so you were just following orders?" he says eyeing me up. suspiciously.

"Yep" I lie. Barely an hour with the Dauntless and I'm already lying.

"Alright then...?" searching my face for an answer.

"Tris" I say quickly. I can't be known as Stiff and Beatrice. I'll never survive here.

"Tris it is. I'm Four. Through that door and meet the rest of Dauntless. They always love the first jumper."

I walk slowly to the door, looking back over my shoulder as my hand rests on the handle. Four is still watching me, as if I'm going to do something unpredictable. Yet, I'm sure to his disappointment, I turn the handle and walk through the door.

**Hey guys, so much to apologise for so... just...SORRY! Next chapter coming soon :) any ideas are welcome :D:D**


	7. Cover-up

The next hour goes past in a blur. As soon as I felt the door lock click behind me, I was blinded by the bright lights facing me. People seemed to have the same expression as Four did when they realise I am Abnegation, and I was the first to jump. Now thinking over it, it has to be the most stupid thing I could have done after what the woman from the altitude test had said. So much for blending in.

After being shown briefly where everything is, I can notice the massive differences, and similarities, between this faction and mine. Every single Dauntless has tattoos, piercings (and who knows what else!) the same way every the Abnegation all have the same plain clothes. Almost like a sign of recognition. Just like the Abnegation are all the same, the Dauntless are all different.

But before being able to think it all over too much, I end up at what seems to be my last stop. We will all share dorms here, even the boys and the girls share with each other, for the short time we are here. I scan the list of names on the door of my dorm. The boy to girl ratio seems to be quite evenly split, but I'm more looking for names I would recognise. Thankfully, right under my name is Christina and Will. At least Dauntless won't be entirely foreign. But then, I'm already a bit more familiar with it than I would like to be at this stage.

_"Now Beatrice, at one stage of the initiation process you will be a guest of Dauntless. This is by far the most dangerous place you will ever come across. And especially for you. The Dauntless do not take lightly to Divergence, and you shall do well to hide it form them. Understand?"_

_I slightly nod my head, as if slowly coming to terms with it all, but she doesn't seem extremely satisfied with my response._

_"Yes or no, Beatrice? This is a very serious matter we are discussing. And in fact, we shouldn't even be discussing it at all! They could have us both killed for even thinking it!..." she continues to ramble on but before it goes any further, I interrupt._

_"Yes, of course I understand. Be quiet, be forgotten, be normal."_

I don't realise the utter silence I was in until a group of noisy Dauntless adults run past my room, interrupting my thoughts as they do. But it's not before long they are followed by a familiar face.

"Christina?!" I shout, as she walks right past the open door.

"Oh Tris, thank god! This place is bloody big. I keep getting lost! Is this our room?". She runs in, not waiting for an answer and claims the bed above the one I was sitting on.

"Yeah, tell me about it. It took me ages to find this place." Complete and total lie. I had just had the good sense to ask someone, but I couldn't say that to her. I would make a rubbish Candor. Good thing I've got three back ups...

Before we get a chance to say anymore, Will comes into the room, followed by a few more initiates of whom I have to assume are in our dorm.

"Woah Tris what was that?!" Will looks at me with pure astonishment, and I'm a little slow figuring out what he's talking about.

"He said jump" I'm going to have a hard time getting out of this. "In Abnegation, it is only polite to follow orders, no matter how extreme the outcome." I say, hopefully convincingly enough.

"Yeah well whatever! The guy was completely dumbfounded when you jumped, he didn't know what to say! It was awesome!"

Shit.

What do I do now?

**Hey guys, sorry about the long wait and the short chapter, and the rubbish chapter, and the language and yeah I could do this forever...sorry! And I keep forgetting the disclaimer! Just to say that sadly I didn't think of these characters or the baseline plot :(:( see ya later!**


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